


the mystifying case of julie and the phantoms

by trashmouthuris



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series), Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: (kind of), Buzzfeed Unsolved Supernatural, Gen, Screenplay/Script Format, this could probably have been longer but its finals week so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:13:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27995073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trashmouthuris/pseuds/trashmouthuris
Summary: shane and ryan cover the rise of a mysterious - and possibly paranormal - new band.
Comments: 36
Kudos: 386





	the mystifying case of julie and the phantoms

**Author's Note:**

> i hope the formatting of this makes sense? enjoy

RYAN: This week on Buzzfeed Unsolved we discuss the rapid rise of a pop band, Julie and the Phantoms, and their ongoing gimmick that has both fans and critics perplexed as part of our ongoing investigation into the question, are ghosts real?

_Shane looks into the camera, shaking his head, but after a moment stops and turns to Ryan with furrowed brows._

SHANE: Wait, how is that - what? What?

_Ryan gives him a smug grin, then turns and gives that same grin to the camera._

RYAN: I guess you’ll have to wait and find out. 

_Shane sighs. Ryan begins his delve into the case._

RYAN: Julie and the Phantoms first performed at a high school here in Los Angeles, Los Feliz High School, early last year. The group consists of fifteen-year-old Julie Molina and her band, a guitarist, bassist, and drummer whose identities are currently unknown. 

please don’t tell me you think this is a ghost band.

…

_Shane and Ryan stare at each other, silent. Shane looks at the camera. Ryan goes back to his folder._

RYAN: The group went on to perform multiple shows after that first performance, at locations such as a local coffee shop and the Molinas’ backyard. It was a video taken at this backyard performance that launched the group into fame, gaining half a million hits in just two days, and led them to perform at the highly-acclaimed venue, the Orpheum.

SHANE: Not bad. 

RYAN: Not bad at all. The Orpheum, that’s not an easy gig to get, is it?

SHANE: I don’t think so, though I must admit I don’t know much about the LA club scene. 

RYAN: Yeah, that’s fair.

RYAN: Part of the reason these videos have gone viral is because of the unexpected appearance of the rest of the band. Julie often starts her performances off solo, until the boys pop at just the right moment, seemingly out of thin air. 

_A compilation of the band’s performances plays, showing the band materializing on various stages. Ryan shows Shane the band’s performance in the Molinas’ backyard._

what a fun little show!

it is, isn’t it?

though you have to wonder, how 

exactly do they do that?

no, I don’t need to know. 

you don’t?

I mean, I assume it’s some kind of hologram

thing, right? I’m pretty sure hologram performances 

exist.

well, let’s find out.

RYAN: After a couple of the band’s videos went viral, people began to wonder exactly how they were pulling off this stunt. With that, let’s get into the theories. 

THEORY 1

RYAN: The first theory is one that the band has discussed itself, which is that the group - save for their lead singer - are projected onto the stage for their performances. 

SHANE: What - they said that? Like, they confirmed it?

RYAN: Well, yes, but -

SHANE: Then what the hell are we doing here? Case closed! They’re holograms!

RYAN: Or are they?

_Ryan looks at Shane, who is unamused, with raised eyebrows. Shane simply stares at him._

RYAN: While this is the theory that many have accepted, there are several holes that have led to people thinking there could be a more supernatural explanation for the band’s gimmick. 

Audience members who have experienced the band’s live shows have reported that they rarely ever see any equipment that could be used to create the so-called holograms, and if they did, it did not seem nearly as sophisticated enough as equipment would need to be to create such high-quality projections. This, along with some key information about the possible identities of the band members, brings us to our second and final theory.

THEORY 2

RYAN: The second theory is that the band members are actually the ghosts of three members of a boy band who died twenty years ago.

come on, man!

what? there’s actually a lot of good 

evidence for this theory!

oh, I’m sure there is. 

RYAN: Twenty years ago, a band called Sunset Curve experienced a tragic loss when three of their members - Alex Mercer, Luke Patterson, and Reggie Peters - died just before what could have been a career-launching performance. The boys were only seventeen when they went to grab a bite to eat after their sound check, not knowing that their meal would be fatal.

SHANE: What was it?

RYAN: Bad street dogs.

_Shane suppresses a laugh._

SHANE: Oh, man, that’s - I don’t want to be insensitive, but wow, what a way to go.

_Ryan begins to laugh as well._

RYAN: Right?

SHANE: Seventeen, though, that is tragic. 

RYAN: As Julie and the Phantoms started to gain popularity, a small group of fans began to notice that the “holograms” bore a striking resemblance to the members of Sunset Curve that had died. This, along with the mysterious circumstances that led to the group’s gig at the Orpheum, raised some suspicion that they might actually be the ghosts of Sunset Curve.

couldn’t they just be holograms of 

some dead guys?

well, yes, but they’re performing songs that

sunset curve never did, and the way they interact

with julie seems a little more personal than it

would be if they were just holograms.

sure.

RYAN: When Julie and the Phantoms opened for Panic! at the Disco at the Orpheum, they weren’t the band originally slated for the gig. The venue had to find them on short notice - the morning of the concert - because the original openers were nowhere to be found after their bus disappeared in the middle of the night. When they woke up, they were reportedly two hundred miles outside of Las Vegas with no memory of anyone having driven there. 

SHANE: What, you think a ghost drove the bus?

RYAN: Maybe. Buses certainly don’t drive themselves.

_Shane shakes his head._

RYAN: It’s quite the connection, though, how the band died right before they were supposed to play at the Orpheum, and then twenty years later this band that looks exactly like them comes out of nowhere and snags a gig at the Orpheum?

SHANE: What, you think their souls are tied to the Orpheum or whatever?

RYAN: Maybe, I don’t know how ghosts work!

SHANE: Can I get that in writing?

_Ryan rolls his eyes._

RYAN: Luke, Alex, and Reggie weren’t the only ones about to perform at the Orpheum that fateful night, though - their band had one more member, Bobby, who survived the rest of his band. He could possibly hold the answers to all our questions, but shortly after the death of his bandmates, he disappeared completely off the map. There are rumors that the very successful singer-songwriter Trevor Wilson could be Bobby, but there is currently no information to confirm that. 

oh shit, he’s pretty famous, right?

yeah

and he has a song called ‘my

name is luke,’ which is the name of one 

of his possible bandmates that died, so...

his ass is definitely getting haunted.

(wheeze)

RYAN: Until we learn more about this up-and-coming band and just how they go about bringing their shows to life, it looks like the mystery of Julie and the Phantoms will remain

UNSOLVED.

_Shane and Ryan continue talking as the credits roll._

SHANE: I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me you think this is a ghost band. 

_Ryan fights a laugh, but successfully meets Shane's eyes._

RYAN: I think it’s a ghost band. 

SHANE: Okay. That’s all I needed. 

_The episode ends._

**Author's Note:**

> weird wonderful world but shane takes ryan to the hollywood ghost club  
> i made a couple edits to go along with this over on my tumblr (trashmouthuris) if you want to check them out! thank you for reading :)


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